Imperfect Souls
by Megs77
Summary: When he walked through that door it felt like he took a piece of her with him. Like a piece of her heart had been ripped from her chest. The pain was unbearable...
1. Goodbye

Author's Note: Hey guysss! I've been reading some awesome Invader Zim fanficcies and decided I would write one of my own. This is my first Zim fic so don't judge it too harshly. And remember to review! Thanks everyone!

-I do not own IZ or any of they song lyrics used throughout this story.

**Goodbye**

_Here comes goodbye, Here comes the last time_

_Here comes the start of every sleepless night_

_The first of every tear I'm gonna cry._

_Here comes the pain, Here comes me wishing things had never changed_

_That she was right here in my arms tonight..._

_But here comes goodbye._

The wind hissed loudly on the walk home from work. Gaz lowered her head trying to protect herself from the forceful air. A storm was coming, quite possibly a bad one. Part of her wanted to rush back to the house to avoid the rain and winds...but another part of her didn't care. She knew it had been almost four years. Four excruciatingly long years since he had left. Days like this always made her remember.

She could remember walking past his house. The gnomes had been removed and the large metal piping that protruded from the house was gone. The violet haired girl was puzzled, not knowing what was going on. Curiosity urged her to walk to the door. She gave in and after taking a deep breath, knocked. Gaz wasn't sure how this would all pan out. As the door opened she said a silent prayer for the best.

Crimson eyes locked onto amber. Gaz wanted to speak but couldn't think of something to say. She racked her brain trying to put together an intelligible sentence. The moment of awkward silence seemed to last an eternity. "H-hey." She managed to stutter out. Gaz mentally kicked herself for sounding so childishly inane. She wasn't a dumb girl, in fact she was rather smart. It seemed graduating at the top of her high school class and being offered a full scholarship to any college of her choice hadn't prepared her for for this one conversation.

"What are you doing here Gaz?" His voice was void of any emotion. The usually boastful, conceited and egotistical alien now seemed listless and quiet. His mannerisms had even changed. He was slouching a bit, a far cry from the pin straight posture he usually kept. Avoiding his question, Gaz asked one of her own. "What's going on? How come all of your stuff is out of the yard?" He turned his head away from her, hesitating. It really wasn't like her to pry. She and Zim had never really been friends. When he had first come to Earth Gaz couldn't stand him. She loathed even being in the same cafeteria with the alien. He had such a hold over her brother, who had been hopelessly devoted to exposing Zim for what he really was. As time passed though, Dib calmed himself, leaving Zim to do almost whatever he pleased. Gaz had even carried on some conversations with him, a huge feat in what little relationship they had. It was odd...but she had always felt a closness to him, like they could relate to each other somehow. Maybe it was the fact that they were both outcasts of some sort.

"I'm leaving Earth. Going back to Irk." Was his solemn reply. His eyes were still hovering to the side, avoiding hers. Gaz was taken aback by the sentence he had just uttered. Leaving? Forever? She wondered exactly what life would be like without him here. It would certainly be less interesting...but there was something else, another emotion she thought she would never feel if this was to come about. Sadness. She choked back the lump that was in her throat and tried to look indifferent. Her face hardened and was wiped of any emotion that she was feeling. "Why are you leaving?" She managed to ask. His face changed now. A look of shame washed over it. He finally turned back to face the young woman before him. A tiny gasp excaped Gaz's lips. His crimson eyes pierced. "I should have never come here. My mission was a lie, just some excuse my leaders came up with to get rid of me." Gaz watched as the humiliation he felt turned to anger. He clenched his fists together tightly. "I'm going back to finish out my banishment. I'm tired of being some joke to everyone." His words were traced with bitterness. She could understand though...the whole thing had to be embarassing. Gaz fought the urge to try and make him change his mind. She wanted so badly to just tell him to stay. Let him know that she cared if he left. A nervous shudder rocked her entire body.

"I understand you feel you need to do what you have to Zim, but just know that I've never thought of you as a joke. And neither has my brother." Zim blinked at the mention of Dib. Since he had come to Earth they had been sworn enemies. Dib was always trying to expose Zim and Zim always fought to keep his identity a a secret.

Gaz's words brought a small amount of comfort to the alien. He watched as she bit her lip nervously. The silence was making her extrememly uncomfortable. She mentally kicked herself for even saying anything. Thoughts whirled around in her head frenzily. It only took one very short second to snap her back to reality. The cool touch on her arm sent a shiver down her spine. Zim stared into her eyes with an intensity she had never seen from him before. She was frozen, unable to move a single muscle. She was entranced with him, his eyes looking more beautiful to her than ever before. He took a step closer to her and moved one of his gloved hands to her face, lightly brushing her cheek. Gaz's heart was beating furiously inside of her chest. Her blood felt like molten lava coursing through her veins. She had never felt like this before The feeling was so foreign...so scary and wrong, but it was wonderful.

"Thank you Gaz. That really does mean a lot to me." He took one more step closer to her and lowered his lips to one of her ears. "I know you don't feel like you fit in anywhere here...but they way you are is so beautiful. Please don't ever change." His warm breath on her neck sent another group of chills down her spine. Her cheeks grew hot underneath his touch. She swallowed loudly as he moved away from her. A small smile graced his lips and he nodded towards her before turning to go back into the house.

Gaz wanted so badly to beg him not to leave, to just stay and never go back to that horrible planet. She wanted to tell him how she felt. How she would feel so alone if he left. She blinked back tears of frustration and sadness as she stood silently, watching him close the door for the last time. "Goodbye Zim." She whispered quietly.

She hated thinking back to that day. When he walked through that door it felt like he took a piece of her with him. Like a piece of her heart had been ripped from her chest. The pain was unbearble to think about then and it had only grown worse. The guilt and regret she felt had taken her over. If only she had said something, given him some sign about how much she cared about him...maybe he wouldn't have gone.

The raindrops began to fall. She stood on the sidewalk letting the rain drench her. Maybe this way she wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the drops and the tears that were now escaping her amber eyes. Her body trembled violently, partially from the cold but she knew most of it was because of him. He was the cause of the sorrow she felt...but she knew she couldn't blame him.

Choking back the rest of her tears she continued walking home. She turned down an allyway, a shortcut she often took home from work. Her now long violet hair was matting to her face making it difficult to see. She was concentrating so much on Zim that she didn't even notice a man standing in the background. Making his move he stormed toward the girl and grabbed her forcibly. Gaz tried to scream but he had placed a gloved hand over her mouth. "Well aren't you a pretty little girl?" He said sadistically. Gaz fought against him trying so desperately to free herself. It was to no avail, he was just too strong for her. A grin formed on his lips has he lowered his face to hers, growling in her ear. "I might just have to take you home with me." It was the last thing Gaz remembered before she blacked out.


	2. Broken

Author's Note- This chapter is why the story is rated M. It has a graphic rape scene so if you can't handle that kind of thing, skip this chapter. You won't miss much of the plot at all. Again, I don't own Zim, any of the characters, or the lyrics.

**Broken**

_It can't be possible_

_That rain can fall_

_Only when it's over our heads_

Gaz's eyes fluttered openly sleepily. She didn't know why she felt so tired...almost as if she had been drugged. Her body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. It took her a few moments to come to her senses. She was lying on a bed, her hands were bound and tied to two large wooden bedposts. Her coat and shoes had been removed, along with her work apron. She was almost completely dry now which told her she had been lying down here for a while. 'What happened to me? Where am I?' She questioned silently. Her thoughts became more frantic. It was so dim in the room. There were no windows, no lights on. The only source of light came from a few candles that sat on a small table on the other side of the small room. "I have to get out of here." She whispered, scared that if she made too much noise whoever did this would hear her and come into the room. It was too late. The door to the room opened and she saw a figure walk in. He was a larger man, a few inches taller than Gaz but she could tell he was obese. She was having trouble judging his age because his face was unclear in the dim light. If she had to guess it would have been around 40 or so. He wore a stained, white wife-beater and a pair of black sweatpants. He was in the early stages of balding and what hair he did have left was and orange-red color.

"So you're finally awake." He said with a sick smile. Gaz pulled at the ropes around her hands forcefully, trying her hardest to break free. The man laughed tauntingly. "You might as well stop trying now. You'll never undo those knots. And even if you did, we're out in the middle of nowhere. You would have no idea where to go...and no one would be able to hear your scream." He moved closer to the bed and touched one of her legs. She jumped underneath his touch and tried to move. The man just laughed again as he ran his hand up the length of her leg, up her inner thigh. Gaz squirmed and struggled. This couldn't be happening, not to her. It all had to be a bad dream, a very realistic bad dream.

The man then lowered himself to the bed, and began to stroke her long, now fully dry hair. "You're such a beautfiful girl. Beautiful face...beautiful body..." He trailed off as he moved his hand down to her shirt. He began to unbutton the black work shirt. "No, pl-please...don't do this. Just let me go...I swear I won't say anything to anyone about this." Gaz pleaded helplessly. He didn't stop though. When he was finished unbuttoning the shirt he moved down to her pants. After they were unzipped he slowly pulled them off, revealing her long bare legs. Gaz closed her eyes, trying hard not to concentrate on what was happening. She couldn't believe this. She felt his hands roam her entire body. Nothing was safe. He cupped her breasts in his hands and gave them a hard squeeze. She gasped loudly with just evoked another laugh from her kidnapper. She watched as he reached over and pulled a small knife off of the table next to the bed. He ran the tip softly across her throat. A silent warning that if she put up any fuss or caused him any trouble he could kill her. He than took the knife and cut the sleeves of her shirt and tore it away from her body, throwing it to the floor. The violet haired girl's breathing had grown heavier. It seemed like such an effort to take a breath. All she could think of was what was happening to her at this moment...and what was going to happen to her.

She felt the knife point in between her breasts. In one sharp slice he cut her bra open, revealing her perfectly round breasts. The man placed the knife back on the table and then began to remove his shirt. She was sickened by his appearance. He had looked large before, but the absence of his shirt made him look downright fat. His chest and stomach were littered sparatically with curly red patches of hair. He leaned over and grabbed both sides of her face with his hands. She felt his lips on hers. He ran his tongue across her lips trying to force himself inside of her mouth. She kept her mouth tightly shut, not giving in to his bullying attempts. When he sat back up, he re-positioned him self over her, straddling her with his legs. She could feel how hard he was for her which sent a wave of nausea over her. He began to girnd against her, grinning sadistically as he did.

His hands wandered up to her newly exposed breasts. He grabbed and squeezed them roughly causing her to give a slight moan of pain. "You have the hottest tits I've ever seen." He said. The taunting had left his voice and was now replaced by hunger. He leaned down and using his toungue, traced the circle of her nipple. He sucked and nipped and licked and squeezed for what seemed like an eternity to Gaz. His hands, lips and tongue roamed her entire body. There had only been one placed untouched and she could see that now he had set his sights on it.

The man grabbed each side of her black panties and slowly pulled them off and then tossed them onto the floor with the rest of her clothing. He ran his hands up to her inner thighs and then across her exposed vagina. By this time she had given up hope. She couldn't fight herself out of this situtation and it seemed that no one was going to rescue her. She just lay there as he inserted one of his chubby fingers inside of her. "Well...I guess I'm luckier than I thought...I managed to catch a completely sexy girl who just so happens to be a virgin." He said sadistically. He inserted another finger and moved inside of her, stroking her clit. The whole experience was so foreign to Gaz. She had never felt anything like this, and certainly didn't want to with this man. When he pulled his fingers out of her he grinned. He stood up from the bed and began to push his pants off. She could tell when he was grinding on her earlier that he hadn;t been wearing any underwear, and she was right. She saw his fully erect penis, throbbing and waiting to be inside of her.

He moved to the head of the bed, roughly grabbing the back of her head with one hand and his manhood with the other. He ran the tip across her lips and then pushed, trying to open her mouth. She wouldn't open it. He grabbed a handful of her har and yanked her head back. "Suck my cock you stupid bitch." He growled dangerously. "Open your mouth and suck it."

Gaz was absolutely terrified and disgusted. She didn't want to give in to his orders, to just let him do what he pleased with her. Her mind flashed to the knife against her throat though. If she didn't do what he said, would he kill her. She decided she didn't want to take that chance. Reluctantly she opened her mouth letting him push himself in.

"Now that's a good girl." He said as he thrust in and out. He moaned in pleasure as she sucked on him. His hands wandered again down to her breasts and he played with them.

Gaz seemed to black out, trying to protect herself. Maybe if she didn't think about it she could just block out everything that was happening. She wondered if Dib had gone to the police yet, or tried to come looking for her himself. He was her overprotective older brother after all....at anytime now he could just beat down the door and come save her from this....this torture. She waited and waited, hoping someone, anyone would come.

When the man was finished having his way with her he got off the bed, grabbed his clothing and headed for the door. Before he left the room he turned back to her. "I'll be back for some more of that later." He told her, and then disappeared.

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes. She had never felt so vulnerable before. So frightened and alone. Her body ached and stung from her kidnapper's assault. She cried softly, the hope slowly draining. She closed her eyes and saw his face. It pained her to see...why couldn't he be here for her now? When she needed him most. The teardrops ran down her face but she managed to choke out two words. "Please help."


	3. Saved

**Saved**

_Life is a mystery_

_Everyone must stand alone_

_I hear you call my name..._

_And it feels like home_

Gaz forced herself to open her eyes. She was all too familiar with her surroundings now. The bed she had been bound to, a couple table placed in the room...the dim candles. She wasn't sure how long she had been in this room. It seemed like months, but she knew realistically it had on been some days, maybe even a week. The man who had kidnapped her made it a point to come in and spend some "quality time" with her daily, sometimes multiple times a day. When this happened though, Gaz would shut herself down and go somewhere else in her mind. Somewhere peaceful and happy. It was the only was she could cope with what was happening. She had given up hope that anyone would find her now, accepting her fate.

She heard the doorknob turn and saw a small amount of light creep into the room. He was coming back...the first time today. She turned her head away from the door, not wanting to see his hideous, twisted grin. Her eyes closed and she waited for the bodily contact or one of his snide remarks. She was surprised when she felt a cool touch on her face a gloved hand covered her mouth. It seemed so familiar to her...this touch. It was gentle yet desperate. "Gaz...stay quiet. I'm going to get you out of here." Her eyes shot open. She turned her head and saw him standing there. She thought she must be dreaming. "Z....Zim?" She managed to say. Her voice was so tiny...and sounded so frightened.

Zim nodded. "Just be quiet Gaz. That man is upstairs...he doesn't know that I'm here." Gaz watched as he removed one of his gloves. Her eyes widened as she saw that he didn't have fingers, they were more like...claws? He used them to cut through the thick ropes. They easily fell onto the bed. Zim placed the glove back over his hand and then positioned them behind her back. He gently helped her situp. Pain coursed through Gaz's body and she gave a small gasp. She knew she needed to be quiet...it was just so hard. Zim grabbed her shirt and pants and helped her dress as quickly as she could. When she was finished fastening a few buttons on her shirt Zim placed a hand behind her back and one right behind her knees, Gaz felt like the world was twisting and spinning around her. She hadn't fully grasped what was going on yet. When he had lifted her into the air the violet haired girl rested her head on his shoulder. Zim could tell she was weak. Anger coursed throughout his body as he watched her gasp for breath.

"It's alright Gaz, we're leaving. He won't hurt you anymore...I promise." She barely heard the words but managed a small nod. Zim opened the door as quietly as he could. He peeked out to make sure that Gaz's kidnapper was nowhere to be seen. When he knew he was clear to go he tiptoed down the hallway towards the front door. He made it to the front door and slipped out as quietly as he came, Gaz still secured in his arms.

He placed Gaz in the backseat of her brother's car. Dib, who was sitting in the passenger's seat began to panic. His eyes widened as he watched his lay almost lifeless. Every breath she took seemed to take so much effort. Bruises were scattered all across her body. Blood which must have trickled down from her bottom lip had dried to her chin. "What did that bastard to to her?!" Dib shouted angrily. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles began to turn white. He wanted so badly to jump out of the car, march up to that house and give that man what he deserved.

Zim noticed the crazed gleam in the young man's eyes. He placed a hand on his arm. "We need to get her to a hospital. She's in a lot of pain." Dib looked back at her again, knowing that Zim was right. He just nodded, not saying another word.

The drive to the hospital was painfully silent. Zim could only imagine how horrible Dib felt. He had tried for days to find his sister. The police hadn't helped at all. After he filled out the missing person's report they told him people around this town went missing all the time and that they would check into it soon. He had felt the only choice he had was to try and somehow contact Zim. His technology could easily find her. And it did.

Zim gave a small sigh as he pulled up to the emergency room doors. "You take Gaz inside. I'll go back to your house and wait. If you need anything, you know how to get a hold of me." He told Dib. He nodded and jumped out of the car. He gently pulled gaz out of the backseat and carried her inside. Zim watched until they disappeared through the doors. As he drove off he said a little prayer. "I don't know if anyone is out there to hear this...but please help her to be okay. She's the only thing I have left."


	4. Alive

**Alive**

_And today you know that's good enough for me_

_Breathin' in and out's a blessing can't you see_

_Today's the first day of the rest of my life and I'm alive_

_And well...I'm alive_

Gaz's eyes fluttered open. Her body tensed as she looked frantically around the room. It was bright...just so bright. She had grown accustomed to the dimly lit room she had spent the past week and a half in. Her eyes ached as she took in her new surroundings.

As if she had just woken from a dream her thoughts immediately went to that face. The one she saw so briefly before she slipped back into unconsciousness. She could still feel his hands cradling her protectively. She sat up very suddenly, searching the room frantically for him. He was nowhere to be found though.

Was it all just a dream...something she had just made up in her own head? No....it couldn't be. He had to be here somewhere.

"Hello!" She called out, trying to get someone's attention. She was surprised when she saw a young woman wearing pale blue scrubs walk into the room. It was only then that Gaz noticed she was inside of a hospital. She looked down at her arm and saw an IV. How could she have not known where she was. The thoughts of him must have clouded her judgement.

"Oh, it's so good to see that you're awake! I'm you're nurse, my name is Tara." The pretty brunette said cheerfully as she began to switch out the bag of fluid the IV was hooked up to. "You're brother will be so happy to see you awake. He's been waiting here with you day and night for the past eight days or so."

"Dib is here?" Gaz asked slowly. The nurse nodded. "Mhmm. He just left the room a few minutes ago. He'll probably be back very shortly though. He never leaves your side for more than a couple minutes at a time." She replied as she removed the gloves that she had been wearing and tossed them in a tiny trashcan near the door. "I'll be back in a while to bring you dinner." With that, she left the room.

Gaz now knew that she was going crazy. It wasn't Zim that had saved her, it was her brother. A surge of disappointment ran through her. It was a bittersweet realization. She wanted so badly to see her brother...to tell him what happened to her. But she also wanted to see his face again...

"Gaz! Gaz, oh my gosh you're awake!" Came a familiar voice from the doorway. She didn't even have to look over to know who it was. A pair of arms locked themselves around her tiny frame in a rock hard embrace. The vilet haired girl flinched a bit but stayed silent. She knew her brother was happy to see her and she didn't want to spoil this for him.

"I was so worried about you Gaz. I didn't know what to do with myself...I thought you were..." He trailed off, his voice thick with sadness. She managed to wriggle out of his grasp. A smile crossed her lips as she placed both of her hands on his either side of his face. "I'm not though. I'm back now...I missed you so much." She told him as she placed a tiny kiss on his forehead.

Dib wanted so badly to ask her what happened. How she got kidnapped, where ke kept her. He refrained though. She probably didn't want to talk about it now, plus he knew hearing it would work him up to the point of marching back to the guys house and trying to kill him.

He stood up and moved to a small armchair that sat next to the bed. "So did anything major happpen while I was....gone? You didn't burn down the house or get married or anything right?" Gaz asked her brother. She felt so odd talking this casually after what had just happened to her. Part of her didn't want to face it right now though. She just didn't want to think back to that horrible week.

Dib shook his head. "Nope, no marriage. And no girlfriend either, isn't that the strangest thing you've ever heard of?" Was his sarcastic reply. He took a sip of the coffee he had gotten from the cafeteria. Gaz grinned. It was actually strange. Dib, who was now twenty-four, had actually grown up a lot. He became a very successful scientist, one of the youngest in the world. His jet black hair had grown out and he kept it neat and spiky. He still wore glasses, but instead of the large wire-rimmed he switched to the more trendy thick-rimmed glasses. He was funny, charming and incredibly sweet.

Gaz shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. You are kind of a nerd." She replied indifferently. Dib cocked his head to the side. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

A few moments of silence went by. Dib had pulled out his cell phone and was checking some work e-mails. Gaz wondered if she should ask him about Zim. Ask if he saw him or if she was just crazy. She argued with herself for a while, weighing the pro's and con's about bringing the subject up. She decided to just bite the bullet and do it.

"Hey Dib, can I ask you something?" Her brother looked up from his phone. "Of course you can, what's up?" He slid the phone back into his pocket, focusing all his attention to his younger sister. Gaz took a deep breath and then let it out before she began to speak. "You're going to think I'm crazy...but when I was being rescued...I could have sworn it was Zim that did. I remember seeing his face and even hearing his voice. It was so clear for a minute. Is he here? Do you know Dib?" Her voice was quiet, she didn't want anyone else to hear the conversation.

Dib reached out and grabbed his sister's hand. "No, you weren't imagining it. It was him, he took you out of the house." At hearing this, Gaz's body began to tremble slightly. The thought of him actually being back made her heart race and her head spin. It had been true...he came back...

"Gaz, went you went missing I had no idea what to do with myself. I went to the police who weren't much help. I posted signs everywhere, called everyone you and I knew to see if they had seen you. I wasn't sure what else to do. I was getting ready to lose hope, but then I remembered something. Dad told me one time that he had implanted a tiny chip in both of us when we were very young. Kind of like a GPS tracker so he could find us at all times. Unfortunately I had kind of lost track of all his computer software after he...after he died." Gaz closed her eyes tightly when Dib mentioned this. It had been almost 2 years since their father's death. They rarely ever mentioned it...it had been too hard on both of them.

The young man cleared his throat before continuing. "I knew that the only person...alien....thing that would be able to help me was Zim. After trying for a few days I managed to contact him and tell him what was going on. He came back as quickly as he could. It only took him a few hours to figure out how to use the tracking device software." He sat back in his seat again. "I guess the rest is just history."

Excitement, anxiety and joy overwhelmed Gaz as she heard what her brother was saying to her. Zim cared anough about her to come back. And not only to come back, to come back for the sole purpose of rescuing her. "Is he still here?" She questioned, hoping she hadn't gotten excited for nothing. She crossed her fingers tightly praying for the answer she wanted.

Dib gave a slight smile. "Yeah, he's staying at the house. I actually just sent him a message saying you had woken up. He said he was relieved and was looking forward to seeing you well again." He could see the happiness in her eyes as she reviewed what he had just told her. Dib knew that something had changed in her when Zim left. She was distant and very melancholy. Gaz was never a social butterfly, but this had been strange even for her.

The young woman looked back at her brother. "Do you know when they're going to let me out of here?" She asked hurriedly. She couldn't stand to wait any longer, the one thing she had wanted for years was finally here and she didn't want to waste any precious time that she could be spending with him.

Dib laughed at Gaz, finding it slightly amusing she was letting down her usual emotionless wall. "Slow down speed racer! The nurse said once you woke up they would moniter you overnight to make sure everything was okay. As long as you're as normal as can be in the morning I'll be taking you home tomorrow."

Gaz was inwardly rejoicing when she heard these words. Of course, it would be hard to have to explain to the both of them what exactly happened to her...but even now, knowing that Zim was back, she felt protected, untouchable. It eased the inner pain that she had been trying to block out for the past couple weeks.

Dib spent the rest of the evening with her. He slept on the small chair next to her bed as he had for the past nine nights. Gaz gazed at her brother. He looked so peaceful when he slept. It was like he didn't have to worry about anything. Not work, not what kind of nonsense she was getting into, not their...father. She wished he could be that way all the time. She had always felt guilty for picking on her brother so much. She had been no better than the students in school who had labeled him crazy. Today those people wouldn't be intelligent enough to even mop the floors of his labs. Dib had never been a type to g;oat though, maybe when he was younger, but not now. He didn't hold any of the past against Gaz. It didn't change the fact that she felt sorry for what she had done though.

She sighed and lay back in the bed trying to relax enough to get some rest. She knew that the faster she fell asleep, the closer to seeing Zim she would be.

Her eyes closed and a small smile formed over her lips. "I'll see you soon." She whispered quietly. Her smile grew. It felt good to say. Very good...

Author's Note- That's the end of chapter four! I've decided that poor Dib needs a girlfriend in this story and since there aren't many girls in the series to choose from, I need your help. (Sorry to the DATR fans.) Anyways, either review or send me a message on a character idea. Give me all of the stats. Looks, personality, stlye, name, etc. I don't care if you make the person up or base it on yourself. I'll pick the one that I like best and write her into the story. She won't be a major character becuase I don't want to take away from the ZAGR. She will appear regularly though.

Thanks for your help! Remember to review!


	5. Frayed

Hey everyone! I know you probably all thought I had given up on this story, but the good news is I haven't! A special thanks to Captor of the Crazies for the almost death threats...it was definately motivating. So for that reason I'm dedicating this chapter to you! Heyo!

As always, I don't own Invader Zim or the song lyrics used in the story. So let's be on with this, shall we?

**Frayed**

_And I give you all my pieces broken_

_In your hands there's nothing that you can't fix_

_My heart is frayed my scars are open_

_So put me back together now_

_Stitch by stitch_

The discharge procedure from the hospital was excrutiatingly long, but that was nothing compared to the drive home. In all reality the hospital was about ten minutes from the house but to Gaz it seemed like days. She fiddled nervously with the hospital bracelet which was still wrapped around her wrist.

"So you're sure he's still at the house right?" She asked again. Dib laughed at the question. He turned to face his sister and smiled warmly. "Yeah, as far as I know. I haven't heard anything different at least."

Gaz smiled to herself as she stared out the window. She wondered what his reaction would be when they saw each other again. A tiny part of her was scared there would be some tension or discomfort. She prayed that it was the opposite, that things felt the same as they had before he left, just normal. The thought brought a smile to her lips.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dib pulled into the driveway. Gaz's heart fluttered wildly as she quickly exited the car. Dib rushed around to the passenger's side and took his sister gently by the arm. The protective older brother side of him was taking over now. "Be careful." He warned. The young woman smiled. "I'm alright, don't worry."

She fixed her gaze on the front door, the walk there itself seemed to take an eternity. Her stomach was in knots and her chest felt uncomfortably heavy. Dib removed his hand from her arm and pulled out the house key. Gaz waited in anticipation as he slid the tiny piece of metal into the lock and turned it in what seemed like slow motion. She burst through the door and her eyes darted quickly to the couch. The bag she was carrying slipped through her fingers and hit the floor with a loud thud. She didn't hear it though. Her senses seemed to dull as she stared at what was in front of her. It was Zim, he was there, but it was what was next to him that was more important. There another Irkin sat, this one clearly a female. The young woman's eyes looked from Zim, to the female and then back to Zim.

The alien stood to his feet and took a few cautious steps toward Gaz. She didn't move, seemingly frozen in that spot. Nothing was ever said about another Irkin in the house. Had Dib known about this? And if so, why would Zim have brought her back here? Unless... Gaz quickly tried to puch that horrid thought from her mind. She focused in on Zim, who continued to move toward her. The young woman had wanted so badly for this to be a happy reunion. She was hoping to have come home and be swept up into her saviors arms. She wanted to find that safety and security. Instead she felt confused and anxious.

"Gaz." The alien spoke quietly, seeming as if he was almost afraid of disturbing her. The violet haired woman managed a smile. Dib moved to her side. "Why don't you sit down Gaz, that way we can all catch up." He suggested as he led his sister to one of the recliners.

Still silent, she sat on the edge of the chair, eyeing the female alien curiously. Zim took a seat next to the Irkin, it was too close for Gaz's comfort. The thought from earlier came creeping back into her mind. Could she be Zim's...? No, there was no way. She shouldn't think such terrible thoughts.

The air was thick with tension. Zim was gazing at Gaz wondering if her should say something to break the silence, or let her take care of that. The violet haired girl looked from Dib to the Irkin on the couch. She seemed to be as uncomfortable as everyone else int he room.

In the end it was Dib that broke the uneasy silence. "Well, the doctor said that Gaz was recovering amazingly. She sure is a trooper." He beamed at his younger sister proudly. Gaz forced a small smile for her brother's sake. "Yeah, I feel great." She lied. She wanted so badly to ask what was going on, but part of her knew she'd be hearing something she didn't want to hear. A small sigh escaped her lips as she mustered up enough courage to speak to him.

"So, it's been a while Zim." His name quivered as it rolled off of her tongue. "What's new with you?" Zim contemplated lying to her but he knew that she would see right through that. "Wll, a lot happened when I went back home." He stated quietly.

Gaz felt a slight sting in her chest when he heard him say 'home'. What did she expect though? Irk _was_ his home in all reality. He was only here to do a favor for Dib, that was it.

"After a year on punishment I was assigned to a mission to take over a planet that all of the other invaders had failed to do. I managed to accomplish it and in return was made the new leader of Irk." He explained. His tone wasn't boastful at all, he was quiet and reserved. Not how she had remembered him at all. One thing that concerned her was that he failed to mention the female alien sitting to his side. She figured that if she was just an acquaintance Zim would have at least acknowledged her. Instead it was like he was just ignoring her, pretending she wasn't there.

Gaz glanced over at her brother, who was tryping something on his phone, probably business related. She had finally worked up the nerve to ask, trying to prepare for the worst. "So who is it you brought with you?" The young woman asked, her voice was tiny and uneven.

Zim could tell that she was obviously nervous, whick made was he was about to do much more difficult. He thought about what he would say, how exactly to explain himself. Unfortunately there was no way to really sugar coat it and he respected Gaz too much to do that anyways. His crimson eyes locked onto hers as he began to speak.

"This is Lan, my fiance." Those words felt like a bullet that shot Gaz straight through the chest. Her heart sank as she tore her eyes away from the Irkin. Silence filled the room again, no one knew exactly what to say. Gaz racked her brain trying to think of something she could say to break the tension. It was so hard though. The one being she had ever had feelings for was going to be married. Repeating that back the second time caused even more pain than before.

She tried hard to mask her disappointment when she began to speak. "Well congratulations Zim." A smile was forced. "I hope you both have a nice life together." As genuine as she tried to sound, it wasn't believable. The young woman stood to her feet. "I think I'm going to go lay down, I'm really tired." She commented flatly.

Dib glanced up at her. "Just call if you need anything little one, I'm at your service." Gaz nodded and headed up the staires to her bedroom. Tears welled up in her eyes as she slowly pushed open the door and shut it behind her. Though it shouldn't have been, the amount of sorrow she was feeling was shocking. Her chest ached and tears burned in her eyes. Even though it was instinctive to brush them away, she didn't. She closed her eyes tightly and hugged a pillow to her. All she could see was his face. Those crimson eyes boring into hers, the concern washing over his features when he looked at her. It was too much to bear.

She stretched out on the bed , still clutching the pillow. The tiny knock on the door startled her a bit. She tried to disguise the hurt in her voice before she spoke. "I'm okay Dib, I just want to try and get some rest." She called, her voice cracking. There was no response, Instead the door cracked open a a tiny bit. The young woman immediately sat up as she watched Zim enter the room.

"I'm sorry Gaz." He said, taking another step. The alien wore a cautious expression as he gazed at her. "Could we talk?" Gaz gave a slight nod and watched Zim close the door behind him. He sat on the opposite side of the bed as her. She could tell he was uncomfortable, almost as much as she was. "I'm sorry about all of this. About what happened to you and about everything with Lan." Gaz almost cringed when he said her name.

The alien shifted his eyes. "It's not my decision though. I don't want to marry her." These words stunned Gaz. She turned to look at Zim, obviously intrigued. He noticed this an continued. "The only way I'll be able to take my place as the new leader of Irk is if I marry. All of this was arranged for me." His tone had changed. He sounded sad, almost mournful. The young woman moved closer to him.

"I'm sorry Zim...I had no clue..." She trailed off, not exactly sure how to finish that sentence. He shrugged, staring at the floor. It seemed as if he was beating himself up about the whole thing. "Does she want to marry you?" She asked slowly, not knowing what type of reaction she would get. A small sigh escaped Zim's lips as he nodded his head. "That makes things a little more complicated I guess." She replied, feeling defeated again.

Silence regained control of the room as each searched for something to say. Finally Zim spoke. "Gaz, I hate what happened to you and I'll make sure that bastard pays for what he did to you." He clenched his fists tightly as he said this, the anger showing right through. Seeing the concern he had for her made her feel a little more reassured. St least he still cared about her.

"I am glad that your brother called me though. After I made the decision to leave and when I talked to you on my doorstep I was afraid I would never see you again." Zim turned his head to face her, wondering what he reaction would be. She seemed confused at first. "You remember that day?" The alien nodded his head. "Just like it was yesterday. You were the only one that seemed to care that I was leaving. Really the only one who cared about me at all.

Hearing him say that made Gaz both happy and sad at the same time. She was ecstatic byt the fact that he had wanted to come see her, that he had missed her. "I honestly didn't think that you would remember me after you left. I had felt so alone and then when that man took me...I was sure I would never see you again. It was the most horrible feeling imagineable." Her voice was tiny yet sincere.

The pair stared at the floor for what seemed like forever. What Zim did next took Gaz by surprise. He reached for her hands and pulled her close to him, wrapping her in a tight embrace. A small gasp left her mouth but she more than welcomed the warmth of the alien. The young woman had waited for this for so longand all the waiting had been worth it. Zim ran one of his clawed hands through her long violet locks.

"I'll try Gaz, I promise." He stated simply. "Try what?" The young woman asked curiously. "I'm going to try and promise you that you'll never be hurt like that again. I'll make it my responsibilty." He whispered, pulling her closer.

Gaz's heart fluttered happily. This was more than she could have imagined when she daydreamed about reuniting with Zim. She felt safer than she ever had in his arms. It felt like nothing bad could ever happen to her again.

"After I make sure that your kidnapper is in custody I'll return to Irk with Lan and beg the committee to reconsider their decision to make me marry. After that's taken care of, I promise I'll come back Gaz, for you." He placed a light kiss on her forehead and then gently repositioned her so that she was laying on the bed. She gazed at him through half-lidded eyes, a small smile gracing her lips. Zim pulled the sheets up around her, tucking her securely into the bed.

"Rest now." He whisperes. "I'll be here when you wake up." Gaz nodded slowly as she slipped in and out of consciousness. Nothing else in the world mattered now. It was just him. Just Zim.

And BOOM there's chapter five! Thanks to everyone who didn't give up on this story, I hope you like the new chapter! And don't worry, I won't make you wait a year for another update. :D


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